soned.

Poor Snow-white could not refuse such a present, so she opened the door
and let the woman in, quite forgetting the advice of the dwarfs. After
she had bought a few things, the old woman said, "Let me try this comb
in your hair; it is so fine it will make it beautifully smooth and
glossy."

So Snow-white, thinking no wrong, stood before the woman to have her
hair dressed; but no sooner had the comb touched the roots of her hair
than the poison took effect, and the maiden fell to the ground lifeless.

"You paragon of beauty," said the wicked woman, "all has just happened
as I expected," and then she went away quickly.

Fortunately evening soon arrived, and the seven dwarfs returned home.
When they saw Snow-white lying dead on the ground, they knew at once
that the stepmother had been there again; but on seeing the poisoned
comb in her hair they pulled it out quickly, and Snow-white very soon
came to herself, and related all that had passed.

Again they warned her not to let anyone enter the house during their
absence, and on no account to open the door; but Snow-white was not
clever enough to resist her clever wicked stepmother, and she forgot to
obey.

The wicked queen felt sure now that she had really killed Snow-white; so
as soon as she returned home she went to her looking-glass, and
inquired:

"Mirror, mirror on the wall,
Who is most beautiful of all?"

But the mirror replied:

"Queen, thou art the fairest here,
But not when Snow-white is near;
Over the mountains still is she,
Fairer a thousand times than thee."

As the looking-glass thus replied, the queen trembled and quaked with
rage. "Snow-white shall die," cried she, "if it costs me my own life!"

Then she went into a lonely forbidden chamber where no one was allowed
to come, and poisoned a beautiful apple. Outwardly it looked ripe and
tempting, of a pale green with rosy cheeks, so that it made everyone's
mouth water to look at it, but whoever ate even a small piece must die.

As soon as this apple was ready, the wicked queen painted her face,
disguised her hair, dressed herself as a farmer's wife, and went again
over the mountains to the dwarfs' cottage.

When she knocked at the door, Snow-white stretched her head out of the
window, and said, "I dare not let you in; the seven dwarfs have
forbidden me."

"But I am all right," said the farmer's wife. "Stay, I will show you my
apples. Are they not beautiful? let me m